Stuck - Feedback on tdee and increasing calories PLEASE

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lklkl5
lklkl5 Posts: 113 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Please help me. I lost 50 #'s and came to a complete halt for the last 3 months upon adding exercise. I have tried increasing my calories, and added additional exercise. I wear a fitbit, and a HRM. I exercise 4-5 times a week an hour plus burning between 600 and 700 calories on average. I am 5'9", female and 47. My TDEE at moderate exercise 3-5 times a week is around 2500 and is 2200 at light exercise. This would indicate I should eat around 2000 calories a day when set to a 20% deficit. I am currently eating around 1700 calories and very hesitant to increase my calories. Can anyone provide feedback on their experiences with increasing calories. BTW, I still need to lose another 30-40 pounds so I am not close to goal weight.

Replies

  • StarChanger
    StarChanger Posts: 605 Member
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    In, for feed back since our numbers and issue, is very similar...except you've already lost a decent amount of weight. I can't seem to drop below the number I'm floating around now. :(

    PS - My granddaddy played for Texas Tech....back when they wore leather helmets. :drinker:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Your numbers all sound pretty reasonable. Did you recalculate your TDEE after the weight loss? Is your food logging accurate (honest, complete, weigh/measure foods, etc)?
  • lklkl5
    lklkl5 Posts: 113 Member
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    Yes, I have been doing this since October and am very diligent about my food. I weigh and measure and count everything. I initially had my calories at 1200 but I was also in a cast so activity was very limited. I slowly increased them to 1700. I mentally have a hard time upping another 300 calories. And yes, these calculations are at my current weight.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    OK, so you're saying...

    1) Your TDEE is around 2200-2500?
    2) You eat around 1700 cals per day?
    3) You measure, weigh and log everything you eat?
    4) You haven't lost weight in 3 months?

    Something isn't adding up. TDEE calculation might be wrong, calorie intake might be off, some unknown health issue... something else is at play here.
  • PriceK01
    PriceK01 Posts: 834 Member
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    What sort of exercise are you doing that you're burning 600-700 a day?

    And to give you something to compare, I'm also netting 1700/day. I'm 45, 5'10" tall, and weigh ~130lbs. I'm lifting weights 3 days/wk (Starting Strength). I'm not losing or gaining at 1700/day, but have only been at this level for a couple of weeks hoping to find maintenance.
  • lklkl5
    lklkl5 Posts: 113 Member
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    I alternate between riding my bike, and elliptical stairclimber. I use my heart monitor for calories burned. I have been to multiple activity websites and calculated the expected caloric burn for these activities just as a means of double checking. I actually log lower than all other means have suggested and btw I do deduct calories to account for what I would have burned during that time without exercise so I am not double dipping.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    You stopped losing after you added exercise. What was your schedule before? Now it's 4-5 days a week burning 600-700 calories a session. Could that have moved you up a TDEE level in the calculations that isn't being accounted for?
  • fooninie
    fooninie Posts: 291 Member
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    Sounds like a plateau alright. Have you tried cutting out all non-natural carb/sugars? Do you eat 6-8 times daily? That helps.

    I'm sorry to hear about your wall...it's a frustrating thing, I can relate!! What worked for me is changing the fitness routine and cutting all non-naturally occurring carbs/sugars.

    good luck!
  • lklkl5
    lklkl5 Posts: 113 Member
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    All of my weight loss came when I was not exercising. I was in a cast until late January. I was on restricted activity in February (slow return to normal activity) and then cleared for exercise. I then began walking 4 miles a day, 3X a week at 4 mph. I have since switched to the elliptical stairclimber and biking which I alternate for 4 -5 times a week.
  • nmeeks81
    nmeeks81 Posts: 9
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    ive read a lot of post like this.... but ive heard alot of people state that sometimes the scale is not always right ... is you measurement changing at all.... any maybe there might be a health problem your not awere of like thryoid or excessive stress ???
  • LaceyAnderson
    LaceyAnderson Posts: 17 Member
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    You could try cutting back on the exercise a little. I think what you're doing is actually considered vigorous. I just ran across this page on the CDC website a few days ago:

    http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

    Ten years ago, I lost 130 lbs without exercising at all. I gained most of it back, of course. This time, I am exercising, but the weight loss seems a lot more difficult. It could be my age, too.
  • lklkl5
    lklkl5 Posts: 113 Member
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    I appreciate the feed back from everyone. I am not basing everything on the scale, I also am not losing inches. I definitely see more toning but in terms of actual inches no change. Great article on the levels of exercise intensity. I haven't seen it laid out that clearly anywhere else. I appear to be in the vigorous category. Maybe I am undereating for my level of exercise.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I appreciate the feed back from everyone. I am not basing everything on the scale, I also am not losing inches. I definitely see more toning but in terms of actual inches no change. Great article on the levels of exercise intensity. I haven't seen it laid out that clearly anywhere else. I appear to be in the vigorous category. Maybe I am undereating for my level of exercise.

    Why would under-eating results in no weight loss?
  • lklkl5
    lklkl5 Posts: 113 Member
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    My only response would be because I'm clearly not losing by under eating. It doesn't make any sense to me either, but I am looking for solutions and many others on here have suggested that you need to eat more to lose. At this point I am willing to try anything (within reason of course).
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    My only response would be because I'm clearly not losing by under eating. It doesn't make any sense to me either, but I am looking for solutions and many others on here have suggested that you need to eat more to lose. At this point I am willing to try anything (within reason of course).

    Rarely do you need to eat more to lose. Often times you CAN eat more and STILL lose, but rarely do you NEED to.

    90% of the time, reducing cals will lead to weight loss.


    On a different note, your diary is hidden so I can't see anything. What are your macros? Are you getting enough fat and protein?
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
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    My first idea is that maybe you're numbers are a bit off (need to recalculate tdee at lower weight, etc) and you're actually at maintenance calories and you're gaining muscle mass since you're not really at a deficit and it's replacing fat. Are you losing size still (neck, waist, legs)? How about body fat?

    If you're losing size or body fat without a weight change - don't worry about it, the weight will catch up eventually.

    If you're not... something is up-- numbers off, not logging some foods, double dipping exercise, medical issue, etc, etc, etc. Figure it this way, if you've not lost weight in 3 months and your tdee is 2500 and you eat 1700... that's a deficit of 800/day... or 72,000 calories roughly unaccounted for in either body weight or other ways... 20 lbs. Something is way off somewhere.
  • derekj222
    derekj222 Posts: 370 Member
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    you need to start some resistance training as well...lifting light weighs, using resistance bands, etc...that much loss with no exercise will only result in loose skin over time...resistance training will help.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    Have you tried recalculating your TDEE?

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I don't think anyone can effectively give you help if you don't open your diary.

    Please open it.
  • elvensnow
    elvensnow Posts: 154 Member
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    Some "increase calorie" success stories:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/983441-plateau-anybody-increase-calorie-intake-and-have-success?hl=increase+calorie+success#posts-15025986
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777762-lost-weight-by-increasing-calories-please-respond?hl=increase+calorie+success
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/672109--kiki-i-need-your-progress-success-testimonies-for-site

    But as far as what you should do I think most people have already covered it.

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